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Women's Studies
The Major
The structure of the Major, which includes core
courses, disciplinary courses, focus courses, a course in U.S.
Ethnic Studies and internship/field experiences, offers flexibility
and versatility. Students and faculty work closely to shape the
Women's Studies major to meet the needs and interests of the individual
student. The program encourages students to participate in off-campus
programs and to design independent study experiences, enabling
each person to take advantage of the rich diversity of opportunities
available at Earlham College and in the world.
A student who wishes to declare a major in Women's
Studies should meet with a member of the Women's Studies faculty
and with the Coordinator of the Women's Studies Program to receive
final approval of her/his course selections.
Students majoring in Women's Studies must
complete:
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Three Core Courses in the order indicated for 12 credits:
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WMNS 305 Introduction to Women's Studies
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WMNS 375 Feminist Theories
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WMNS 488 Senior Capstone Experience
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Four Disciplinary Courses for a minimum of 12 credits:
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At least four upper-level courses should be selected from Women's Studies courses that have cross listings. In consultation with the Coordinator, one of the four may be an applicable Earlham Seminar or Interpretive Practices course. These courses should represent at least three different disciplines or programs. See the Courses section.
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Three Focus Courses for a minimum of 9 credits:
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At least three additional courses should be chosen that represent a thematic or vocational group designed by the student in consultation with her/his faculty adviser. For example, a focus in Environmental Studies might include ENPR 240 Environmental Science Foundations; ENG 305 American Literature and Ecology; and POLS 373 International Environmental Politics.
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One Course in United States Ethnic Studies for a minimum of 3 credits:
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At least one course with a sustained emphasis on one U.S. ethnicity must be taken. Recent courses have included AAAS 114 Introduction to African American Studies, AAAS 351 The Civil Rights Movement, HIST 482 Asian American History, ENG 204 African American Literature and REL 230 History of African American Religious Experience. (See the Coordinator for approval.)
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Internship for 0-4 credits:
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An internship is completed before the
student's final semester at Earlham. The internship enables
students to apply theoretical approaches raised in Women's
Studies courses to practical situations in the world beyond
the classroom. Students have held internships at women's
shelters, with women's wilderness programs, at rape crisis
centers and in feminist publishing organizations. They have
taught Women's Studies courses in high schools, worked for
women's programs at other academic institutions, and organized
events in conjunction with groups such as the Women's International
League for Peace and Freedom and the Association of Women
in Science. Internships can be done on an off-campus program,
during the summer, or in Richmond during the academic year.
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Senior Capstone Experience in two parts completed in the Senior year:
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WMNS 487 Demonstrative Project completed in the first Senior semester (2 credits)
Students should meet with their Women's Studies adviser no later
than the spring of their Junior year to complete this project
by the end of the Fall Semester of their Senior year. The
project provides an opportunity for students to synthesize
the theoretical and practical experiences gained in the Major
and to demonstrate their depth of understanding of a particular
issue or problem to the larger Earlham community. Recent
student projects include organizing a lecture series on minority
women's health issues; creating one-woman art shows; exploring
different forms of artistic expression including poetry by
women of color, collections of Jewish women's writing and
feminist choral singing.
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Written Examination completed at the beginning of the Spring Semester of the Senior year. Students are provided a reading list in the Spring Semester of their Junior year.
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